Page 37 of Dark Obsession

Alexei’s voice fills the car. Elena was attacked.

My chest tightens, and a rage I’ve never felt before pulses through me like wildfire. I grip the steering wheel so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t snap in two. Every part of me wants to storm into that house and kill every motherfucker inside, leaving Claudio a bloody message he won’t forget.

But I force myself to breathe, to think.

Cooler heads, Grigori.

I call Alexei back, my hand still gripping the wheel. He picks up on the second ring. “Grigori?”

“What the fuck happened? Was she hurt?”

“She’s alright. A bit shaken up, a few bruises and cuts here and there, but nothing too serious. We’re taking her to the hospital to get checked out just to be sure. We lost two guards,” Alexei says the last part quietly.

Two guards down. Damn.I press my fist into the steering wheel, my knuckles white.

“Which hospital?” I growl, fury simmering beneath the surface.

Alexei tells me then adds, “We’ll let you know when you can see her.”

“I’ll see her now,” I hiss, hanging up before he can respond.

The war’s on. And I’m going to make damn sure Sanchez regrets coming after her.

I pull away from the house slowly, forcing myself to stay calm as I merge onto the road. But once I’m on the open highway, I drive like a madman, my foot heavy on the gas. The rain blurs the city lights, but my focus is razor-sharp.

Elena.

She could’ve been killed.

The thought sets my blood on fire, the anger coursing through my veins like lava.

I arrive at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, parking haphazardly before storming toward the ER. The fluorescent lights overhead are harsh, the smell of antiseptic thick in the air. The second I step inside, I’m greeted by the full Ivanov crew—Luk, Lev, Yuri, and Alexei. They’re all waiting for me, their faces tense. I stop dead in my tracks, my heart racing.

“Where’s Elena?” I demand, my voice full of fury. I need to see her.

Lev is the first to speak. “Not yet, Grigori. They’re still checking her out, but it’s nothing serious. Trust me, she’s okay.”

I grind my teeth, frustration burning in my gut. I want to push past them to get to her, but the look in their eyes tells me there’s more going on.

Alexei smirks. “Feels like an intervention, doesn’t it?”

“What do you want?” I growl, my patience wearing thin.

Luk steps forward, his expression unreadable. “We know something’s going on between you and the cartel. It’s time you tell us what the hell it is.”

I sigh, knowing there’s no getting out of this conversation.

Luk steps forward, arms crossed, his tone resolute. "Once we get some answers, you can see Elena. But until we know what’s really going on, it’s too dangerous to have you around her."

Lev doesn’t hesitate to pile on. "You’ve become an unpredictable element, Grigori. You’re hiding your past, disappearing and going off on your own with no contact. We need clarity before we can trust you fully again."

They’ve got me dead to rights and I know it. The rage simmering inside from hearing Elena was attacked doesn’t blind me to the fact that I’ve kept them in the dark for too long. I take a deep breath, the weight of the conversation ahead pressing down on me.

"Fine," I say. "But we’ll need some privacy for this."

Luk nods and turns to a nearby nurse, his tone authoritative. "We need a private place to talk—now."

The nurse glances at him, her eyes flashing with recognition. After a brief hesitation, she says, "There’s a conference room on the third floor. Room 305."

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